Long Live Fine Dining: Vetri Eighty-Sixes A La Carte

Previously thought dead or at best withering away, fine dining is showing some signs of life this morning. Craig LaBan reports that beginning in March Marc Vetri is doing away with a la carte and will only offer tasting menus at his eponymous Spruce Street flagship. The changes come as trendspotters everywhere say the more casual vibe of jeans, sneakers and burgers is the way of the future. In the piece, Vetri credits Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park in New York for inspiring the cahnges. Like Meyer’s upholder of fine dining, which recently reduced the number of seats in its dining room, with menu changes, Vetri is also downsizing by six seats. For now, it looks like the $135 price tag for Vetri’s Grand Tasting Menu will stick. So we should be thankful he’s not drawing inspiration from Thomas Keller and jacking up the prices. [Inquirer]